1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pedal straps, and, in particular, to automatically tightening pedal straps for bicycles. More specifically, the automatically tightening mechanism may be means which tightens the strap portion while moving one""s foot forwardly on a front portion of the pedal strap device.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
There are many utility patents and design patents relating to pedal straps. The following is representative of the art:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,688 to Martin R. Baginski describes and illustrates a strap for use with a bicycle pedal to retain a rider""s foot thereon. It comprises a first and a second elongated resilient strap portion, each of which are secured in the bicycle pedal. The first and second strap portions are moveable between a locked position and a released position. When the strap portions are in the locked positions, the cyclist""s foot is retained on the pedal and any lateral movement of the first and second strap portions is prohibited. In the released position, the first and second strap portions are released from each other so that the cyclist""s foot is no longer retained on the pedal thereby. The first strap portion has at least one aperture therein. The second strap portion has a protrusion which is positionable in one of the apertures in the first strap portion to prohibit relative lateral movement between the first and second strap portions created by the cyclist""s foot during use of the pedal. The second strap portion also includes retainer means for retaining the first and second strap portions in the locked position and is releasable upon exertion of a force on one of the strap portions in a direction other than a lateral direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,333 to Eric A. Sampson discloses and bicycle pedal system which attaches a cyclist""s shoe to a bicycle pedal. The system consists of a cleat attached to the cyclist""s shoe under the ball area of the foot. The cleat has two downward projections. These projections feature arcuate tracts for matingly engaging the cleat to a pedal body. The pedal body is shaped to matingly engage the cleat and contains a tensioned mechanism centered in the back of the pedal body. If a rotating force on the cleat exceeds a predetermined level, a release of the shoe cleat from the pedal body occurs. If such rotating forces do not exceed the predetermined level, the shock or movement will be absorbed and the shoe cleat is returned to the optimum positions in the center of the pedal body.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,047 to John M. Alcamo discloses a bicycle pedal system comprising a shoe clip which attaches to a bicyclist""s shoes. It has a pair of serrated lateral tongues which couple with and are easily inserted into complementary serrated recesses in the associated bicycle pedal. The construction and configuration of the system, including negative undercut serrations permits easy insertion of the clip into the pedal and permits easy lateral sliding of the clip along the pedal and lateral removal of the clip from the pedal when not in use, but securely lock the clip in the pedal against relative lateral movement during uses as well as against transverse separation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,144 to Yutaka Ueda describes and illustrates a low profile bicycle pedal having a pedal body supported by a pedal shaft to be rotatable about an axis of the pedal shaft and at least a pair of clamping members attached to the pedal body for releasably coupling a cleat of a cyclist""s shoe thereto. Preferably, at least one of the clamping members is pivotally coupled to the pedal body. The cleat has a substantially C-shape with a pair of attachment portions for coupling the cleat to the cyclist""s shoe, and connection portion for interconnecting the attachment portions together. The attachment portions and the connecting portions form a pedal shaft receiving notch for accommodating the pedal shaft when coupled to the pedal body. Each clamping member has front and rear cleat engaging surfaces with the rear cleat engaging surface being spaced farther than the front cleat engaging surface from the center of the pedal body.
Notwithstanding the aforesaid prior art, the present invention device is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.
The present invention is a automatically tightening pedal strap, which has a front member sized and shaped for placing a user""s front of a foot in a shoe into the device. The front member has a top portion and a bottom portion. The bottom portion includes a strap tightening driver moving means which moves connecting means to a forward portion of the front member The strap tightening driver moving means moves forwardly in response to insertion of one""s foot in a shoe into the device.
There is also connecting means connecting the strap tightening driver moving means and a strap member. When the strap tightening driver moving means is moved forward within the front member, the strap member automatically tightens by either downwardly movement or upwardly movement of the connecting means on the strap member in response to the forward movement of the strap tightening driver moving means.
The strap tightening driver moving means may be a slider located within a track on the bottom portion, which is connected to the strap member. The connecting means may be connected to the slider through clamps, pins, ties and the like. In this embodiment, the connecting means is guided through a bottom of the device and in response to the movement of the strap tightening driver moving means pulls the strap downwardly to tighten it.
In another embodiment, the strap tightening driver moving means may be a slider, which is at least partially located on a top portion of said front member. It has a toe portion which moves in response to insertion of ones""s foot in the device. In this case, the connecting means passes through a top of the device and pulls the strap upwardly, when it is tightened. The slider may be connected to a track in the bottom of the front portion or it may be connected to a top portion.